


One More Time

by RedEris



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon Divergent, Gen, it's not Dorian that dies don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-29 07:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20959757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedEris/pseuds/RedEris
Summary: They'd tried it every other way. They always fell without a Herald.





	One More Time

The first was the hardest. The dearest, for one. Ardann, of the silver skin and polished, sweeping horns. Tall and lithe and beautiful. Kind and foolishly trusting. He made it all the way to the Winter Palace, but when he confronted Florianne, the court turned against him. Oxman, they called him. Spy, slanderer, assassin. Gaspard himself killed Ardann, and then fled in disgrace bare minutes later when Florianne slew Celene. By the time the spell was ready, demons were crawling across the land from the Wastes to Denerim.

And then, when the Herald emerged from the Breach once more, it wasn’t Ardann.

After that, he tried not to get attached. But it wasn’t in his nature.

Several died very quickly--those were the easier ones. Easier to let go, easier to rewind. Two of the Circle mages couldn’t be persuaded to defend themselves at all, so terrified of retribution they were.

Beneta Cadash was so promising. A seasoned fighter, a survivor, ready and willing to do what it took. Scarred and crude and possibly even cruel, but she knew how to play the long game.

Fell at Haven.

Lieta Lavellan, gentle and delicate but surprisingly stern. Her little shrines burned away, her exquisitely impermanent offerings to her gods, wrought of twig and leaf, gone and then truly obliterated.

Stopped the Wardens, and then died of some foul desert disease.

Belerian Trevelyan was exquisite. Also, vain. But oh, the people loved him. He filled them with hope. With faith. They counted it an honor to die for him.

Fell in the Fade at Adamant. Nightmare swarmed through the rift, killing Inquisition soldiers and Wardens alike. 

Dorian ground the heels of his hands into his eyes, and then blinked until he could focus on the stone wall in front of him. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. One more time. Always one more time. There was no choice--they’d tried it every other way. He couldn’t go any further back than the Breach, and they always fell without a Herald. Back he would go, one more time.

**Author's Note:**

> Well isn't this one just a pick-me-up?


End file.
